The present invention relates to information presentation method and more particularly to an information presenting means used in an electronic apparatus such as a telephone with a display, which can serve for interface with a user who is inputting data to the electronic apparatus.
Typically, a portable telephone having a display function and a mailing function has been used, which enables a user to send a letter to another telephone terminal, being visually informed of the mailing state or mailing procedure by animation on a display screen. This is achieved for example by sequentially presenting animated image data {circle around (1)}, {circle around (2)}, {circle around (3)} and {circle around (4)} as shown in FIG. 2. Another type presentation for the user is made by sequentially presenting audio information or outputting music or text information.
In many cases, the user may take pleasure in operation with the presentation of working information (visual or audible information) on the telephone for an initial period of use but he or she may lose interest in the same repeated presentation. In such a mood, the display may irritate the user since he or she is not allowed to do the next inputting operation. Even the telephone can allow the user to do inputting operation while the display works, he or she may not be informed of the possibility of doing inputting operation and may lose a time until the display ends.
Furthermore, the telephone contains software and data necessary for carrying out the presentation, which, however, may be unnecessary for the user who is skilled in operation of the telephone apparatus and may think it is a loss of a memory. The data that became unnecessary for the skilled user cannot be erased if the data are stored in a read-only memory of the apparatus. The memory area occupied with the data cannot be reused.
On the other hands, the amount of data registered by the user is increased as the user uses the telephone apparatus. Accordingly, the skilled user may experience an overflow of the user""s memory area and keenly desires effective use of the memory capacity of the apparatus.
The object of the present invention is to provide a presentation device with a presentation means for presenting a working state or an operating procedure of the apparatus, which is capable of changing the presentation information to help a user in operating the electronic apparatus according to the skill of the user of the apparatus so that the user may do inputting operation without unnecessary waiting time and more effectively use the capacity of the presentation data storing memory to store other kinds of desired data if necessary.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation method, memory medium or presentation device that is designed according to the following technical concept:
The presentation is shortened or omitted according to the user""s skill, presumed from an input operation rate (the number of operations and duration).
The presentation is shortened or omitted according to its necessity for the user, which is presumed by the fact that he or she could start inputting operation before the end of presentation.
The presentation is shortened or omitted according to its necessity for the user, which is presumed by usage of the memory capacity or remaining capacity of the memory.
Furthermore, the presentation data and software are stored in an erasable memory so that the user may erase data that became not to be displayed or store the data in the compressed state to increase the memory area usable for storing the other kinds of data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation method for presenting information such as an operating process or an inputting procedure of an electronic apparatus provided with a presenting means, which is capable of estimating the necessity of presenting the information according to operation records or state information of the electronic apparatus and simplifying the presentation information according to the estimation result.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation method, which is characterized in that the presentation information is simplified by deleting at least a part of the information or by using another type of information having a smaller amount of data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation method, which is characterized in that the information is presented as animated images and simplified by reducing the number of the images or shortening duration of presenting each of the images.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation method, which is characterized in that the presentation information is an audio information and simplified by deleting at least a part of audio information or by shortening duration of the audio information.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information recording medium (memory device) for recording information such as a presentation program and data necessary for implementing the method defined.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device for presenting an operating process or an inputting operation procedure of an electronic apparatus provided with a presentation means, which is provided with a data collecting means for collecting operation records of the electronic apparatus or working information including a current working state of the device to estimate a degree of necessity of presenting the information and a discriminating means for determining a degree of necessity of presenting the information according to the data collected by the data collecting means and judging the necessity of changing the presentation information based on the determined necessity degree of the presentation, and which simplifies the presentation information according to the judgment made by the discriminating means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that data collectable by the data collecting means is data representing operation records of the electronic apparatus, which data includes at least one of the following parameters: the number of the apparatus operation starts, the number of the apparatus operation ends, the number of the presentation program starts, the number of the presentation program ends, the number of data presentations, an integrated operation time of the apparatus and a change in user""s input operation speed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is further characterized in that the data collectable by the data collecting means is the number of input operations made by a user during presentation of the specified information.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that data collectable by the data collecting means is data representing used capacity and/or unused capacity of a memory of the electronic apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that the device is further provided with a data erasing means for erasing data stored in the memory of the electronic apparatus and, when the discriminating means judges there is no need to present the information, causes the data erasing means to delete the unnecessary presentation data and/or the unnecessary program from the memory.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that the device is further provided with a data compressing means for compressing data stored in the memory of the electronic apparatus and, when the discriminating means discriminates it is unnecessary to present the information, causes the data compressing means to compress the unnecessary presentation data and/or the unnecessary program in the memory.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that the device is further provided with a data restoring means for restoring compressed data in the memory of the electronic apparatus and a data changing means for changing an estimate value of data obtained by the data collecting means and causes the data restoring means to restore the compressed data and/or the program to the expanded state and stored in the memory and the data changing means to change the values of the estimate data obtained by the data collecting means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that the device is further provided with a nullifying means for nullifying the discrimination made by the discriminating means to preventing the presentation from being simplified.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that the presentation information is changed depending upon a result of discrimination made by the discriminating means in such a way that the presentation information is simplified in a plurality of stages corresponding to unnecessary degrees of the presentation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that simplification of the presentation in a plurality of stages is conducted by thinning out the presentation data and/or shortening a presentation time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information presentation device, which is characterized in that data is arranged in the memory of the electronic apparatus in such a way that erasable or compressible data of the presentation data and/or the presentation program is disposed next to an area of data to be updated any time at need.